DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ FTX is just the tip of the iceberg. Meet 16 lawyers whose bankruptcy battles, from Revlon to JCPenney, are setting them up for a boom in business
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the economic downturn, just 312 corporations filed for bankruptcy this year as of October. Here are 16 lawyers who may benefit as more companies negotiate with lenders and restructure their debt. FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday after questions were raised about its capital, leading customers to flee the exchange. Despite the high-profile nature of FTX's bankruptcy, such filings actually fell to a new low in 2022. As of end of October, there were just 312 corporate bankruptcy filings, down from 410 filings in 2021, and 640 in 2020, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence report.

☆ It may be one of the last countries to let travelers in — and it's not China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Edward Harris | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFurthermore, North Korea's reopening depends on two countries — China and Russia. Mark Edward Harris | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBeard agreed, saying travelers still send requests to visit North Korea. North Korea's tourism revenue rose around 400% between 2014 and 2019, according to the North Korea analysis database 38 North. "Our guess is that the DPRK will be one of the last countries to let travelers in," said Vega. Travel brochures promoting North Korea, Tibet and China at a stand at the CMT travel trade fair in January 2020.

The public health emergency was initially declared in January 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began, and has been renewed each quarter since. "That is not the moment you want to pull down the public health emergency." The officials said a lot of work remained to be done for the transition out of the public health emergency. The government has been paying for COVID vaccines, some tests, and certain treatments, as well as other care under the public health emergency declaration. When the emergency expires, the government will begin to transfer COVID healthcare to private insurance and government health plans.

☆ U.S. will keep Covid public health emergency in place at least until mid January
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Covid public health emergency will remain in place past Jan. 11 after the federal government did not notify states or health-care provides on Friday of any intent to lift the declaration. In October, HHS extended the public health emergency until Jan. 11. Public health officials are expecting another Covid surge this winter as people gather more indoors where the virus spreads easier. The declaration has dramatically expanded public health insurance through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Correction: HHS clarified that public health emergency remains in place for at least another 60 days, which is mid January.

☆ Supreme Court’s Sotomayor rejects challenge to N.Y. Covid vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its Covid vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy. The plaintiffs — firefighters, building inspectors, police officers, emergency medical technicians, teachers, sanitation workers and others — are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom conservative religious liberty group. The court as a whole in June refused to take up a religious challenge to New York state’s vaccine mandate for health care workers. New York City in August 2021 ordered employees in the largest U.S. public school system to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the plaintiffs’ claims is opposition to any Covid vaccine whose testing or development relied on cell lines from aborted fetuses.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy everyone seems to be getting sickIf it seems like everyone around you is getting sick, you're not imagining it. Covid precautions did lead to lower rates of flu-like illnesses compared to normal, pre-pandemic times. But now that much of America has abandoned preventive measures such as masking, more people are getting sick. One illness is respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which can affect young children the most. Watch the video to learn more about why this season is starting off with a surge and what to do about it.

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy. The court as a whole in June refused to take up a religious challenge to New York state's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. New York City in August 2021 ordered employees in the largest U.S. public school system to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the plaintiffs' claims is opposition to any COVID-19 vaccine whose testing or development relied on cell lines from aborted fetuses. Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Novavax posts third quarter loss but beats revenue expectations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this photo illustration a silhouette of a man holding a medical syringe and a vial seen displayed in front of the Novavax logo on a screen. Novavax posted an unexpected loss on Thursday but beat Wall Street's revenue expectations for the third quarter. The Covid-19 vaccine maker reported a net loss of more than $169 million for the third quarter, compared to a loss of $322 million in the same period last year. Novavax reported third quarter revenue of $735 million, a more than 300% increase year over year. The company previously slashed its annual revenue expectations by 50% to a range of $2 billion to $2.3 billion in the second quarter.

☆ As Covid cases tick up, here are latest CDC guidelines for testing and isolation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about masking, testing and isolation haven't changed much since the CDC last updated its recommendations in August. When to wear a maskSince February, the CDC has based masking guidelines on three metrics: new Covid cases, hospital capacity and hospital admissions. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that people with a known exposure who test negative take a second test 48 hours later. for at least five days after your positive test (details about when to leave isolation can be found below). If you continue to test positive beyond day 10, the CDC recommends you continue masking.

☆ What the wave of tech layoffs tell us about the economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s happening: Tech companies are announcing an alarming number of layoffs and hiring freezes. ▸ Lyft (LYFT) said last Thursday that it will lay off 13% of its employees, or nearly 700 people, as it rethinks staffing amid rising inflation and fears of a looming recession. But other companies won’t be immune to the softening demand from consumers and businesses that tech companies have noted. It doesn’t help that the uncertainty around the platform comes at a bad time for ad revenue-dependent tech companies. More potential supply chain woesThe threat of a US rail strike that could disrupt supply chains is still very real.

The recently authorized booster vaccine protects against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the more recent omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5. But there's a new batch of so-called "Scrabble" variants circulating globally. But experts still expect the shots to ramp up your immunity against all Covid variants, to some degree. The Scrabble variants are descendants of omicronThe new variants are descendants of omicron, which is a promising initial sign for the boosters. That can "restore a level of immunity and patch up the holes that some of these new Scrabble variants have found," she explains.

☆ Here's what we know about the rebound in Chinese stocks this week
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — Chinese stocks rallied this week as investors hoped Beijing would soon relax its stringent Covid policy. The Chinese government has yet to announce any official policy change. However, the stock rally that accelerated Friday followed multiple unconfirmed rumors of a coming Covid policy change. Zhang pointed to a closed-door speech Friday morning by a chief scientist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention that suggested a transition away from zero-Covid policy could happen soon. The disease control center and National Health Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ What Cramer is watching Tuesday — big J&J deal, Lilly guidance light, Biden scolds Big Oil
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Club holding J ohnson & Johnson (JNJ) buys Abiomed (ABMD), premier heart pumping company, in a deal valued at $16.6 billion. J & J is paying a hefty premium: $380-per-share upfront, plus extra $35-per-share if certain milestones are met. J & J juiced growth ahead of its separation into two companies: one, pharma and the other, consumer brands. This will raise the growth rate of the MedTech portion of new J & J company. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) very good: $516 million versus $470 million expected.

☆ How concerned should you be about Covid-19 ‘Scrabble' variants? Here's what we know so far
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Though BA.5 still accounts for most U.S. Covid-19 cases, percentages are rising for the other omicron variants circulating throughout the country, per the CDC. "The ones that are particularly concerning are BQ.1 and another related one called BQ.1.1. Internationally, another concerning variant, XBB, which first emerged in Singapore and hasn't been detected in the U.S., is being closely watched worldwide as it spreads quickly in other countries. The new variants were coined the "Scrabble" variants by Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital, during an interview with the Houston Chronicle. The nickname refers to the letters that are used to define the variants like B, X and Q, which would rack up many points in a game of Scrabble.

Pediatric cases of the flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, are on the rise. Here are the signs and symptoms to look out for if your child has a respiratory virus. Does my child have RSV, Covid or the flu? Early symptoms of Covid, RSV and the flu can look similar for many children, including:CongestionCoughRunny noseMuscle achesFeverHeadacheA sore throat, Moffitt said, could be a sign of Covid, as doctors have noticed that infections with omicron subvariants often begin with sore throats. Hotez also urged parents to get their children vaccinated against Covid and the flu.

A relic of pre-pandemic days is making its return to the workplace: the office cold. With people returning to workplaces amid relaxing Covid protocols, poor Covid-19 booster uptake and cold and flu season on the way, the office bug is making an unwelcome comeback. Cold, flu, Covid cases could be serious this winterThere are already hints that this year's cold and flu season could be bad: On Oct. 14, the CDC reported early increases in seasonal flu activity. Still, "there's more pressure to get people in, and it's hitting at the same time as cold and flu and RSV season." Working while sick does everyone a disserviceShowing up to work sick, or even powering through from home, can be damaging on a number of levels.

Dozens of measles cases have cropped up in Gambia this year, a spike over previous years. The measles campaign was rescheduled for 2021, but in July of that year polio was detected in a water sample. Over the years, the success of the measles vaccine has numbed many to these risks, health experts say. At the time, 86% of children had at least the first dose of the measles vaccine worldwide, according to WHO estimates. FUNDS REJECTEDThe U.S. CDC has identified 12 African countries as having no clear plans or secured resources for their next measles vaccination drive.

☆ Pfizer expects to hike U.S. COVID vaccine price to $110-$130 per dose
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc expects to roughly quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine to about $110 to $130 per dose after the United States government's current purchase program expires, Pfizer executive Angela Lukin said on Thursday. Lukin said she expects the vaccine - currently provided for free to all by the government - will be made available at no cost to people who have private insurance or government paid insurance. In 2023, the market is expected to move to private insurance after the U.S. public health emergency expires. "We are confident that the U.S. price point of the COVID-19 vaccine reflects its overall cost effectiveness and ensures the price will not be a barrier for access for patients," Lukin said. It is not yet clear what kind of access people without health insurance will have to the vaccine.

☆ J&J stock dip after earnings beat reflects 2022 outperformance rather than the results
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

On an adjusted operational basis, which excludes the impact of acquisitions and divestitures and currency, sales rose 8.2%. Management said on the call they continue to see this business on track for its 11th consecutive year of above-market adjusted operational sales growth in 2022. Driving the results were increased sales of Stelara on the back of market growth and market share gains in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Women's Health sales increased 7.9% on an operational basis to $225 million versus the $222 million expected. On a reported basis, management tightened their EPS guidance range to $10.02 to $10.07 from $10 to $10.10 previously.

☆ Billionaire hedge fund titan Seth Klarman reveals how he finds investments that meet his standards and his 2 favorite principles of investing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( David Rubenstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

David Rubenstein: You and Warren Buffett, with whom you have often been compared, are probably the two best-known and successful value investors. What skills are required to be a successful value investor? Simon and Schuster: The basic practice of value investing is trying to buy dollars for 50 cents, sometimes 60 or70 cents — in effect, buying bargains. Early on in the 1920s and 1930s, Benjamin Graham wrote about value investing. In terms of the requirements to be a value investor, the skill set, first of all, people need to be patient and disciplined.

☆ Omicron-specific Covid boosters appear to work well, new data says—regardless of the side effects you experience
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If you already got your omicron-specific Covid booster, you might have experienced some side effects. But there's no need to worry: Experts and new data say the new shots appear to work — regardless of whether you experience moderate, mild or no side effects at all. The new boosters gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC before they finished clinical trials. Like previous Covid vaccines, the new boosters are designed to help you fight the virus by triggering an immune response in your body. Covid vaccines typically take two to three weeks to fully ramp up your immunity, which can help your body stop an infection from happening or keep it from progressing to severe disease.

☆ New Omicron Covid-19 Subvariants on the Rise in U.S., CDC Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jon Kamp | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New offshoots of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that virus experts say appear to spread easily are on the rise in the U.S. , the latest federal data show. Two of the Omicron subvariants, both related to the BA.5 version that drove the most recent U.S. surge, are called BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. They were estimated to represent a combined 11.4% of U.S. Covid-19 cases by mid-October, according to estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday.

☆ Here's the inflation breakdown for September 2022 — in one chart
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Inflation measures how quickly the prices consumers pay for a broad range of goods and services are rising. watch nowFood prices have taken a 'starring role'Food prices have been among the largest contributing categories to inflation in recent months. Within that category, certain items have seen prices rise sharply over the past year, such as butter and margarine (up 32.2%), eggs (30.5%) and flour (24.2%). Inflation factors are 'remarkable, unprecedented and highly complicated'A healthy economy experiences a small degree of inflation each year. But a supply-and-demand imbalance led inflation to increase starting in early 2021, following years of low inflation.

☆ Covid leads to long Covid, in governments as well as people
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Brian Michael Jenkins | Brian Michael Jenkins Is An Army Combat Veteran Who Currently Serves As Senior Adviser To The President Of The Nonprofit | Nonpartisan Rand Corporation. His Latest Book Is | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Unlike previous pandemics, however, Covid didn’t see the same offsets in unifying sentiment. There were many explanations for this, including underreporting of Covid deaths in many countries, but the optics were not good. Democratic governments imposed controls that intruded into ordinarily personal space, while authoritarian governments exploited the pandemic to tighten their control. The decline in Covid numbers, if it holds, will not reverse these developments after the November elections. Just as we may talk about societal comorbidity, societies may suffer from long Covid — an impaired functioning of democracy that may persist long after the contagion survives.

☆ A new study confirms it: The pandemic turned us all into jerks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Graceless under pressureTo see how the pandemic affected us, researchers looked at the so-called Big Five personality traits: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness. But the new study found a surprising shift during the pandemic — roughly equivalent to what they'd expect from 10 years of life, not two. During the first months of the pandemic, Sutin's team found little personality change. "The only thing that went wrong," says Brent Roberts, a psychologist and expert in personality change at the University of Illinois, "is the goddamn pandemic kept going." For some Americans, the most stressful thing about the pandemic was experts telling them they should help people they don't like.

Search resuls for: ". COVID"

25 mentions found